Money Saving Strategies for Daycare Providers

[misol]

Coffee Filters

Thanks for resurrecting this thread Greenshadow! It was one of my favorites.

For snack time, my cheap trick was that I used to cut regular sized paper plates in half rather than buy the smaller paper plates which are more expensive. Now...I just use coffee filters! Although they don't work for juicy or sticky snacks, they are perfect for dry snacks like cheese and crackers, pretzels, granola bars, a whole piece of fruit, etc. It's not nearly as thick as a paper plate but all I am really trying to do is create a barrier between the food item and the table I buy a pack of 700 filters at Costco for $3.29.

Funny thing is that no one in my house even drinks coffee::

[MarinaVanessa]

To clean I use white terry cloths. I keep a spray bottle with a water and bleach solution and spray surfaces and toys and leave for 2 minutes and then wipe dry with the terry cloth instead of paper towels. I even use it on my windows and glass table. To mop I dip the terry cloth into the bucket of floor cleaner and wring out a bit and put it on my swiffer mop and mop with that. Works just as well and keeps dirty water from slopping all over the floor and into the grout. I just keep a bucket for all of the dirty terry cloths and throw them all in the washer with a bit of bleach when the bucket is full.

Doing this cuts out windex, disinfectant, surface cleaner, paper towels, swiffer refills, and mop head replacements.

[Lilbutterflie]

I use the grocery game to buy all of our groceries. If you are not familiar... it saves us about 50-75% or more on our groceries every week! I don't mind using paper towels and cleaners/soap in full concentration b/c it barely costs anything! The concept is this: grocerygame.com tells you each week which items are for sale at your grocery store, and it tells you the date of the newspaper that had a coupon for that same item. You only buy the items if you have a coupon and it's on sale. You stock up whenever this occurs, and you never have to pay full price.

[tymaboy]

Sams club sells the white cleanup rags I think they are $12 for 50. We use those for a lot of things around the house & they get thrown when they get warn out out or DH uses them for something grubby. There great for cleaning the counters & wiping up the kids after they eat.

I also use email for communicating with the parents- saves on paper & I dont have to worry about talking too long on the phone.

[Childminder]

I was at IKEA recently and they have a bag of terry cloths the size of wash cloths that have a different colored loop sewed on 1 corner of each. They weren't very expensive (for 1 dozen I think) but it gave me the idea to get bulk package of cloths from a restaurant supply and use scrap hem binding and ribbons and sew them on myself. That way each child could have there own wash cloth or hand towel and they would be marked with there own color.

I also take a roll of paper towel cut it in half with a serrated knife and pull out the cardboard tube, place each half into a empty wipes container and pour a baby shampoo and water solution over it for butt wipes or a bleach solution for disinfectant wipes. Just pull the center towel up and out and feed it through the center holder.

[GretasLittleFriends]

I just went digging for this thread yesterday to learn how to make my own foamy soap. I recently found out my swiffer wet pad was making our dog sick, so I will definitely be switching to a washcloth on the end of my swiffer.

I am also out of clorox wipes and will be cutting a paper towel roll in half tomorrow. Thanks for that suggestion!

[QualiTcare]

that dawn direct foam (dishwashing liquid) that's been on t.v. lately is just 1/2 dawn and 1/2 water. i bought the pump just to have the pump...and when it was half empty - filled it back up with water and it was the SAME!

i wonder how many people keep buying those pumps over and over.....

[TGT09]

I use the grocery game to buy all of our groceries. If you are not familiar... it saves us about 50-75% or more on our groceries every week! I don't mind using paper towels and cleaners/soap in full concentration b/c it barely costs anything! The concept is this: grocerygame.com tells you each week which items are for sale at your grocery store, and it tells you the date of the newspaper that had a coupon for that same item. You only buy the items if you have a coupon and it's on sale. You stock up whenever this occurs, and you never have to pay full price.

Genius! I am totally going to play!

[TGT09]

that dawn direct foam (dishwashing liquid) that's been on t.v. lately is just 1/2 dawn and 1/2 water. i bought the pump just to have the pump...and when it was half empty - filled it back up with water and it was the SAME!

i wonder how many people keep buying those pumps over and over.....

Oh, love this one too!

[melissa ann]

I have different colored washscloths for the kids. They know which color is theirs and when they are done washing hands/face they hang them up on a wooden clothes rack that I have in my bathtub. This way, if their towel gets too wet, it just drips in the bathtub. I give them a new one each day.
I tried the papertowels into baby wipes before, but I had a lot of trouble pulling out the center one. I"ll have to give it a whirl again.
I also put water/dish det in a spray bottle to clean the kids table/chairs. My daughter has that responsiblity. That towel also gets put on the wooden clothes rack to dry, because my 5 yr old thinks that in order to really clean the table, it has to be really, really wet! Oh, well, by the time the kids get up from there naps, it's usually dried by then. LOL!
I buy the juicy juice in the big can and when I pour it into a pitcher, I add water to fill up the pitcher. Kids don't even notice the difference. They get less sugar and the can lasts a bit longer.
A local bent/dent store has been having powdered milk for $2. It makes about 6 quarts. I've been buying that and again, the kids have not said anything about the milk tasting differnent. My daughter loves that we can make milk.

[Golden Rule]

I buy my meats/vegetables in bulk, cook meals in large quantities, and freeze them in quart size foil serving/cooking dishes with lids (bettymills.com). I make my menus months in advance and only buy what is on the list.

Just this week I made about 6 months worth (if each eaten once a week) of chicken/rice casserole, lasagna, spaghetti, chicken/broccoli penne, chili, black eyed peas, baby limas, baked beans, collards and sheppards pie for under $46.00. Ground beef, Boneless Chicken Breast and frozen veggies were on sale.... Fingers crossed that fish goes on sale next week!!!

I use old Airline trays, found at a thrift store for serving meals, perfect serving size, no buying paper plates. I buy select-a-size paper towels.

I only buy store brands. Most are made by the same companies anyway...

I also use long sleeved, plastic, paint smocks as bibs to cut down on laundry. The kids call it "dressing for lunch"...::

Keep 'em coming!! Looking forward to responses!!!

[booroo]

Don't feed, clean, or plan activites for them; also don't clean the house!! Saves a ton of money!! He he

I make my own play doh, the old kids love to help... I buyin season fruit only.. My garden us my best friend...

[MommyMuffin]

FYI
I was at Target yesterday and they have kid nap mats for 7.99. I already have three at home but I thought for someone starting out it would be cheap. I think they are at Target and on sale because of the new school year, check near the school supplies. I dont know if they are right height as some providers have restrictions on that.

[Abigail]

To clean I use white terry cloths. I keep a spray bottle with a water and bleach solution and spray surfaces and toys and leave for 2 minutes and then wipe dry with the terry cloth instead of paper towels. I even use it on my windows and glass table. To mop I dip the terry cloth into the bucket of floor cleaner and wring out a bit and put it on my swiffer mop and mop with that. Works just as well and keeps dirty water from slopping all over the floor and into the grout. I just keep a bucket for all of the dirty terry cloths and throw them all in the washer with a bit of bleach when the bucket is full.

Doing this cuts out windex, disinfectant, surface cleaner, paper towels, swiffer refills, and mop head replacements.

How long until you wash them? I think it might take me 4-5 days before I had enough to wash on low. Anything else I could mix them with so I don't stain anything?

[Abigail]

I Agree!

I use the grocery game to buy all of our groceries. If you are not familiar... it saves us about 50-75% or more on our groceries every week! I don't mind using paper towels and cleaners/soap in full concentration b/c it barely costs anything! The concept is this: grocerygame.com tells you each week which items are for sale at your grocery store, and it tells you the date of the newspaper that had a coupon for that same item. You only buy the items if you have a coupon and it's on sale. You stock up whenever this occurs, and you never have to pay full price.

I've never used the site you're talking about, but in general for all those things we use over and over including toilet paper, paper towels, napkins, tissues, and even food, I buy on sale and stock up. We have a huge closet for this and it looks weird when we get low. Even if something is just a quarter off, it is better than nothing. Just don't waste your gas money driving place to place! If you're bored, you can even call a store here and ask if something is on sale. I do it all the time to Hobby Lobby. I would recommend making a list, yup--I'm a list maker! So, make a list and categorize it.

Create categories including Chemicals, Supplies, Food, etc. Then create Sub-Categories, this is where the specific items go. Write the name of the chemical, size or quantity, then the price. I would print this off and carry it in my purse so if I go to K-Mart and Target one day, I just have to pull it out and write down what their prices/quantities offered are for all the items I usually purchase. Make sure to write which store you got the price from though! I have a separate column in my charts that says which store to keep things simple. This saves a trip and then I realize, oh it's a dollar cheaper here vs. here and if I watch the ads then I know it is or is not cheaper than it has been. Sorry if this seems confusing. This is what I do and it works well!